“I've always said that I didn't want to be given a job because I was a female, I wanted it because I was the most well-qualified person for the job. And making certain that companies are going to move forward in that vein, that is what women want.”

American politician and businesswoman, senior United States senator for Tennessee

Mary Marsha Blackburn is an American politician and businesswoman serving as the senior United States senator for Tennessee. A Republican, she was first elected to the Senate in 2018. Before her time in the Senate, Blackburn served in the Tennessee state senate from 1999 to 2003, then represented Tennessee’s 7th congressional district in the U.S. House from 2003 to 2019. During her years in the House, the National Journal ranked her among its most conservative members.